This ship infobox supports a very large number of fields, including some specialty fields that will rarely be used. Some fields simply don't make sense in some cases. Some different sets of code have been prepared using only the most common fields. Select the most appropriate set below and copy and paste the entire code to the top of a ship article, then fill in as many fields as possible. Empty fields should generally be kept so that a future editor can fill them in unless they make no sense for the ship in question.

The "Full" code contains every field the template supports. If you want, you can copy one of the simplified sets of code and add a few fields from the "Full" code.

If you have ideas for improvements or would like to add brand new fields to these templates, please post on Template talk:Infobox ship begin to discuss the changes and how they should be implemented.

Parameters

Most fields are self-explanatory, but here are some tips (see the usage guide for a complete explanation of all parameter fields):

Ship image If your article does not have an image in this field, the ship will automatically be listed at the hidden category Category:Ship infoboxes without an image. Editors can use the category to easily see a list of infoboxes where no image is attached and work to find pictures.

Ship caption, the caption for the ship's picture, should be left blank if no extra information about the picture is available; don't just fill in the ship's name.

Ship country is necessary when a ship served under multiple countries, but not really necessary otherwise.

Ship class should include both the class and the type of ship. For example, Balao-classdiesel-electricsubmarine provides complete information. It can be replaced with Ship type, which displays as "Type:", for ships that aren't members of a class.

Ship name is necessary when a ship served under multiple names, but not really necessary otherwise.

Ship fate and Ship status generally shouldn't both be filled in. Whichever one sounds most appropriate for the situation should be filled in. Use Ship fate when the ship sank or was scrapped, and use Ship status when the ship is active, kept in reserve, or currently a museum.

Ship displacement and Ship tonnage are not the same thing. Displacement is the mass of a ship in a particular condition, like when it's fully loaded for battle. It is generally used for military vessels. Tonnage is a measurement of the cargo capacity of a vessel and isn't exactly correlated with weight: a ship of a particular tonnage will have a different mass depending on whether it's full of grain or iron. Entries in either parameter need to specifically identify the units in which they are being measured, such as long tons, metric tons or tonnes (unacceptable in articles using American English, use metric tons) or gross register tons or whatever. If possible, use templates such as {{GT}}, {{NetT}} and {{DWT}}.

Alternate spellings

Some fields provide alternate spellings and should never both be filled in:

"Ship honors" and "Ship honours"

"Ship draft" and "Ship draught"

"Ship armor" and "Ship armour"

Parameter value import from Wikidata

Infobox ship can import parameter values from Wikidata (WD). A Wikidata property is roughly equivalent to an infobox parameter. When there is a page at Wikidata that matches the page at Wikipedia, and the Wikidata page has a property that matches the infobox parameter, then the infobox parameter can take its value from the Wikidata property.

These parameters, if left empty or omitted from the template, may be filled from Wikidata:

When the infobox is rendered in an article, those parameters that use Wikidata property values will display an icon () linked to the Wikidata source page. Articles using Wikidata properties are listed in Category:Ship infoboxes importing Wikidata.

If an imported value is inappropriate or wrong, the corresponding Wikidata item should be corrected. The template code will only display a parameter's label and value if the parameter has an assigned value, whether provided locally or provided by Wikidata. If display of a Wikidata property value is not appropriate or desired, use the reserved value none as the parameter value to block Wikdata import. Articles blocking Wikdata property import are listed in Category:Ship infoboxes blocking Wikidata import.

Removing extra fields

It's generally a good idea not to remove fields, because another editor might be able to provide the information later. However, in the case of mutually exclusive fields, like "Ship armor" and "Ship armour", the unused field can be removed if desired. Also, if a section is repeated (to show multiple periods in commission, for example), fields that are inappropriate to duplicate can be removed if desired. Keep in mind that a ship from the Age of Sail would not need the fields for aircraft or electronic warfare instruments and in opposite an aircraft carrier would not need the fields for a sail plan. A surface ship would not require fields for submarines etc.

Special capabilities

Repeating sections

This infobox allows you to repeat sections. To repeat, just make a copy of the section to be repeated. You can repeat the Image, Career, or Characteristics sections. Here is an example, with extra fields removed for clarity:

Hiding section headers

It is possible to hide the headers for the Career and General Characteristics sections, in order to repeat fields. For example, a ship might have been commissioned, decommissioned, recommissioned, and decommissioned again. To have the second commission and decommission dates, use additional a second Infobox ship career template with its header hidden, like this:

Header captions

The General Characteristics section can be given a caption using the Header caption field. See the USS Wisconsin example above, which has a header caption of (1943) to indicate that the characteristics provided are as of 1943.

It is possible to add custom fields to the infobox using standard Wiki table syntax. This is not encouraged, because infoboxes are intended to standardize the appearance of ship articles, but it can be done if needed. See the below example, where "Sunk:" and "Raised:" fields are added to the ship's career: